


Sunset Dear

by TheGodWith5Yen



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, F/F, Family, Family Reunions, Fluff, Kissing, Lesbian Character, Love, Mandalorian Culture (Star Wars), Mando'a Language (Star Wars), Marriage, Reunions, Shmi Skywalker Deserves Better, Shmi has a mandalorian wife, Young Anakin Skywalker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:34:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27600773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGodWith5Yen/pseuds/TheGodWith5Yen
Summary: A woman, short and with dark hair pulled back behind her head into a long braid, moved into her sight. Her face was older and a bit weathered, the suns of Tatooine did that to most people, especially humans, but it was her.It was her.Unable to open her mouth and speak, Tallulah moved forward, slow and awkward. She raised up her hands and took Shmi’s into them. “Shmi, ner’riduur. Shmi.” Her hands shook and she could only stare, long and hard, at her long lost wife. Her beautiful, beautiful wife. She was here, in a junk shop, in Mos Espa, and she was alive and lovely.“Tallulah?” Shmi whispered, voice wet as she stared at her.
Relationships: Shmi Skywalker/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 56





	Sunset Dear

**Author's Note:**

> I got the idea for this and just had to write it :’) so Shmi has a Mandalorian wife who she married while they had both been slaves and they finally meet again. 
> 
> WARNING:  
> There is a brief mention to how Tallulah believes that Shmi’s pregnancy had been a product of rape. It isn’t outright said but heavily implied.

The suns of Tatooine beat onto Tallulah as she made her way through Mos Espa. There were stands full of fruit, fresh and most likely imported or painstakingly grown, along with clothing and jewelry and even salves. Tallulah glanced about at the children running the stands along with their parents and wondered how many of them were slaves. Tatooine was a hotbed for slavery, like many other Outer Rim planets, though Tallulah counted herself lucky that in her time as one she had never been taken here of all places. Being a slave was hell enough without having to add the heat and strain that Tatooine could put on a person. 

Tallulah stopped by a stand full of beautiful handwoven cloth. The vendor, a tall rodian with deep blue skin, watched her with curiosity as Tallulah picked up a scarf, long and with a Tatooine sunset on it that was unmistakable and beautiful. “How much for this mx?” Tallulah asked as she raised up her hand with the scarf. When the vendor answered, Tallulah hummed in thought before placing the credits into the vendors hands. “This is lovely, thank you. Do you know where I can find a shop for parts for my ship?” Tallulah’s ship didn’t need any work done, but it didn’t hurt to pick up some parts while she shopped for something that she could use to turn into jewelry. She carefully folded up the scarf and placed it into her bag as the vendor hummed. 

“Well, there is Watto’s shop. You could find whatever you need there, he mostly keeps the best junk in the sector,” the vendor said with a snorting laugh as they began to give Tallulah directions to the shop. With one last thanks, Tallulah waved goodbye and left towards where they had indicated the shop to be. Luckily it wasn’t too far and Tallulah, in her full beskar’gam, didn’t have to stay out in the suns for too long.

Tallulah walked into the shop and glanced about, hearing a greeting of, “Hi chuba da nago?” from a young voice before an older voice, feminine and so deeply familiar it made Tallulah’s chest ache and she froze with the sound, “Hi there, how can we help you?” Tallulah couldn’t move. It couldn’t be her. It couldn’t. Not after all this time. Nine years, nine and long and hard. Tallulah had given up hope again and again that she would never see her again. It couldn’t be. 

A woman, short and with dark hair pulled back behind her head into a long braid, moved into her sight. Her face was older and a bit weathered, the suns of Tatooine did that to most people, especially humans, but it was her. 

It was _her._

Unable to open her mouth and speak, Tallulah moved forward, slow and awkward. She raised up her hands and took Shmi’s into them. “Shmi, ner’riduur. Shmi.” Her hands shook and she could only stare, long and hard, at her long lost wife. Her beautiful, beautiful wife. She was here, in a junk shop, in Mos Espa, and she was _alive_ and lovely.

“Tallulah?” Shmi whispered, voice wet as she stared at her. It occurred to Tallulah that Shmi couldn’t see anything but her beskar’gam—gray and erin and scarlet, her life all painted onto her beskar’gam in a way only other Mandalorians could ever decipher. “I—I never thought I would see you again. Not when they took you into the mines.” She leaned forward and Tallulah lowered herself so she could press the forehead of her buy’ce against Shmi’s own forehead. It had been so long since she had seen her riduur, she could only close her eyes and take in the moment. Shmi moved back and Tallulah opened her eyes as she watched her riduur move towards the shop's counter, wiping at tears on her face. A boy, young and curious, watched them with a frown and asked a quiet question as Shmi took his hands. “It’s your buir Ani. She’s here.”

Anakin! 

A sob threatened to escape her lips but she only stood tall and placed her hands on her hips as she examined her son. His hair was long and blonde and the clothes he wore plain. He was as beautiful as his mother. Last Tallulah had seen her ad, he had been an ik’aad, just over a year old and walking all on his own. The years had turned him into a fine young boy, so beautiful. Tears streamed down Tallulah’s face, silent and cold, as she watched her riduur and ad talk. They had been all she wanted for _years_. She had found them both. Her lost loves. 

Anakin moved away from his mother and walked up to Tallulah, glancing up at her with his eyes squinted as he took her in. “Are you really my buir? My mom told me all about my buir when I was little, but she never said you would have armor.” 

Tallulah dropped down to her knee to be eye level to her ad. It took her a moment to speak as she swallowed and nodded. “Yes, yes, I am your buir. The last I saw your mom I had been a slave as well, my armor lost. But I was able to become free and returned to Manda’yaim and my beskar’gam, but not to you. Anakin, I’m sorry it took me so long to find you, but I am _not_ leaving without you or your mother. I promise ner’ad. I will never leave you. Not again. Not unless my soul is taken out of my body.” She placed her hand onto his shoulder and her ad smiled before wrapping his arms around her neck and kissing the side of her buy’ce. 

“Watto will be back soon.” Anakin whispered as he pulled back. “What are you going to do buir?” 

Tallulah smoothed at his hair and tilted her head to the side as she smiled at her beautiful ad. “When he does, I will do what I can to bring you both back home.” 

“Home?”

“Home. Manda’yaim. You are my ad, my son, and your mother is my wife. You two are Mandalorian, even if you have not lived there or know an inkling of it, you are.” Tallulah watched as her ad took in her words before grinning, wide and shining as bright as the combined suns of this dreadful planet. She ran her gloved hand over her son’s fair hair and simply let herself take him in before ushering him over towards Shmi. “This Watto, how hard will it take for me to bargain with him?” 

Shmi frowned in thought as she reached forward with shaky hands to clean off an item. “He’s rather fond of Ani since he’s good with droids and machinery, but he may be swayed if you are able to pay a large amount of money. He’s a betting man, but I’m sure you don’t want to spend more time here than necessary.” Tallulah watched as her wife sniffed and wiped her nose against her shoulder, Anakin pressing his face into her side to comfort her. “If you can’t—then—”

Tallulah shook her head as she realized what her wife was beginning to say. No. She could not let that happen. Not again. Never could she separate from Shmi again. Never could she separate Anakin from the mother he had known since he could form a memory. “It’s both of you.”

If it took killing the damn slaver to assure their freedom, then Tallulah would do it. 

She wasn’t the most skillful fighter compared to many others she knew, but Tallulah could aim a blaster as well as any other mando’ade. If Watto was not going to accept her offer of credits then she would do what had to be done. It would not hurt her to kill a slaver, it definitely wouldn’t be the first time Tallulah had ended one's life. However, Tallulah wanted to try her best not to traumatize her son more than he may already unknowingly be.

As they waited for Watto to arrive, Tallulah leaned against the counter as she idly surveyed the shop and grabbed at a small MSE droid model to occupy her hands and make it seem she held an interest in anything but her riduur and ad. The droid was missing a wheel and she hummed quietly as she looked at the remaining three. It wasn’t long before a Toydarian entered the shop and Shmi and Anakin greeted him with varying forms of “master.” Tallulah straightened and sized up the Toyarian, who took her in and asked, “Hi chuba da nago? What brings you in, Mandalorian?”

“Watto, I presume?” Tallulah asked as she set the MSE droid back where she had grabbed it. “How much for the wheels on this MSE droid?” 

“Just the wheels? This is a rather fine droid—”

“It’s missing a wheel. Besides I don’t need an MSE droid, just the wheels. Why should I buy the whole thing that someone else will have better use for when I simply want a single part?” Tallulah asked as she set her hands on her hips and followed the movement of the Toydarian as he seemed to think over her words.

“Ten credits a wheel then Mandalorian.” Watto said with a smug smile.

“Five.” 

“Ten and that settles it.”

“Five.”

“Seven is quite the deal you know?” 

“Five.” 

Tallulah stood up straight and was grateful that her beskar’gam made her seemed bigger than she was. The best thing about beskar’gam was the intimidation factor that set fear and uncertainty in a being's eyes. She could see it now as Watto contemplated her offer. Tallulah would not back down. 

The Toydarian seemed to realize that she wouldn’t back down and nodded his head. “Alright, we have a deal. Five.” He moved his hand out, but Tallulah glanced over at Shmi and Anakin, who were doing their best to look busy as they subtly watched their exchange. 

“How much for the two?” Tallulah asked as her stomach roiled and she fought back the urge to expunge her stomach contents. She kept her hand away from the blaster at her side despite how she itched to grab for it. If she scared Watto too early it could mess everything up. She didn’t want any other slaver in the area to be alerted by his cries and cause a scene that could hurt either member of her family. “I could use a lovely woman like her around and it looks like the child is fond of her, so it wouldn’t be useful to separate the pair.” Tallulah watched as the Toydarian took in her words and glanced at Shmi and Anakin. 

“They’re not for sale.” 

“Everything always has a price.” Tallulah responded as she crossed her arms. 

“If you want a woman, go negotiate with the Hutts. They always have some twi’lek and togruta women that are happy to be of service, Mandalorian.” Watto said as he flicked his wrist and shook his head, beginning to turn around with quick flaps of his wings. 

Tallulah tilted her head to the side as she squinted at him. “I’m more into humans. It’s the hair. Now, what would you say to ten thousand credits.” That was enough to buy a speeder and, Tallulah knew from experience, was enough for a mother and her child. Watto hummed and thus began their bidding war as Tallulah stood her ground, only adding in the prospect of a milkstone. The product was usually used in large construction and highly valuable and the fact that Tallulah had even been able to get what she could for her jewelry had been a miracle in of itself, but for her family she would freely give it up. 

In the end, Tallulah walked out with Shmi and Anakin quietly following behind her as Watto began to wax poetically about his new milkstone that he would surely be able to sell for a high price. Quickly, Tallulah helped them both grab some items from their small quarters before she brought them into her ship—the _Weeping Regent_ , which was an old thing that had become the constant butt of jokes within her clan—and moved to get the ship out of damned Tatooine. Anakin followed her to the pilot seat and asked quiet questions as he watched her flip switches and move them up into atmo. 

“We’re really leaving Tatooine?” Anakin whispered. 

Shmi’s hand settled on top of Anakin’s head and she glanced over at Tallulah. “Yes. Are you ready Ani?” Their son hummed and gasped as they finally ascended into space. Around them were the stars and Tatooine, large and red, Mos Espa nothing but a speck on the planet. Tallulah ignited hyperspace and laughed when Anakin gasped in joy and watched the streaking stars as they moved forward. The blue glow of hyperspace fell over them. Tallulah watched as small tears left her wife’s eyes and her son looked out into the stars with a look of awe. Tallulah carefully set her hand onto Shmi’s and let herself cry silent tears when Shmi smiled up at her. 

For years Tallulah had thought about Shmi’s smile, the smile she had given Tallulah when they had whispered their wedding vows, the smile when Tallulah made the adoption vow for little Ani, the smile that was so full of heart and joy that it made Tallulah feel clumsy in her intense love for the women. All she had wanted for nine years was to see her wife again and here she was, safe and alive and so _near_ that Tallulah had to hold herself back from throwing off her helmet and pressing their lips together. 

Instead, Tallulah breathed in. “Let’s get you both into the medbay. We need to get those chips out of you two.” She took Shmi’s hand, giving it a light squeeze before she led them towards the small medbay. It wasn’t much, just a chair and a bed and a cabinet full of medical supplies. Some of the children from House Raewyn used the _Weeping Regent_ as a place to play so when Tallulah’s foot knocked over a small wooden starfighter toy, causing it to clatter across the floor, she wasn’t all too surprised. With a quiet curse she hoped Anakin didn’t hear, Tallulah picked up the toy and set it onto the counter.

Shmi helped Anakin up onto the bed and sat beside him, stroking at his hair as Tallulah scanned for their chips. 

“Will this hurt?” Anakin asked as he watched Tallulah, wringing his small hands in the front of his shirt. 

Tallulah carefully took off her buyce and set it down so she could properly meet her ad’s eyes. “It will sting, but don’t worry Ani. Once it’s out, everything will be better. I promise. Just close your eyes and hold your mama’s hand. It will be over before you can say ‘hullabaloo.’” She placed the device where the chip was, sitting neatly near his right shoulder blade, and just as Anakin opened his mouth to whisper the word, the chip was out and he squeezed his eyes slightly tighter. 

“That wasn’t too bad was it Ani?” Shmi asked as helped set a bandage to Anakin’s neck with a small smile on her face as their son shook his head. He laid down in Shmi’s lap, holding onto her hand still as Tallulah removed her chip. “Should we leave him here to sleep or is there somewhere else?” 

Tallulah brushed back a lock of Anakin’s hair from his face. “Leave him here. We can head over to my bunk if you would like.” She turned towards the cabinet and pulled out a pink blanket—small and with a design of a young twi’lek girl riding a blurrg—placing it over her son as Shmi wandered over towards the counter, her fingers brushing over the wooden toy before she turned back and answered, “Let’s head to your bunk.” So they walked, Shmi by her side as Tallulah nervously led her towards her bunk. 

When they walked into the room, Shmi took it in for a moment before saying, “It’s alright if you moved on. It’s been so long I wouldn’t be angry or—if you moved on. Had a family. It is fine. Ani and I could find somewhere to go and—” Shmi broke off when Tallulah grabbed her hands and squeezed. 

“I’ve never moved on. I couldn’t. Anyways, we are married. You’re my wife Shmi there is no way in hell I could ever think about moving on if there was a _sliver_ of hope you were still alive. You’re my family, my love, my greatest treasure. You hold my very name still, do you not?” Tallulah let her forehead rest against Shmi’s and marveled in how her wife’s breath hitched as she nodded yes. “I missed you so much. It’s been all I can take not to kiss you and accidentally scare you.” 

Before she could speak aloud any of her own worries, Shmi’s lips met hers. The kiss was slow and Tallulah closed her eyes as they explored each other’s space again, Shmi’s hands cupping her face and her fingers idly circling at the edge of her short cropped hair. After a few minutes, Shmi pulled back. “I saw that toy and thought maybe… maybe you had children. A family.” 

Tallulah shook her head as she placed her hand under Shmi’s chin and tilted her head up so their eyes could meet. “No. My only child is Anakin. Though perhaps we can have some more children to add to Clan Skywalker.” She said with a rakish grin that made her wife giggle and lightly swat at her shoulder as she slowly walked backward towards the bed. “I’ve been nothing but devout in my love for you, I promise. Some of the foundlings from our House tend to come and play in my ship since they know I don’t mind them coming in and out. There are so many foundlings Shmi, Anakin will fit right in I’m sure.”

They hit the bed and Tallulah sat down, dragging Shmi to sit on her lap. Shmi carefully raised up her hand and ran it through Tallulah’s short hair. When Tallulah last saw Shmi, her hair had been long and she couldn’t help but wonder if that was how her wife preferred it, but Shmi simply leaned forward and lightly kissed underneath her eye. “Anakin’s different. I’m. I don’t know how the others will view him.” 

“Different how?” Tallulah asked. 

Shmi was quiet, staring at the wall with blank eyes before whispering. “Remember when you had asked me if Anakin had a father? And I said no?” Tallulah remembered that moment perfectly. Every detail was etched into her brain, how she had held Anakin in her arms, so small and fragile in their broken lives, and asked whether anyone else could stake a claim on the boy. When Shmi had shook her head and looked away, Tallulah had burned with an anger that the infant seemed to have felt it, whining and giving a spluttering cry. She had heard others say that before many times— _there is no father_ —and that usually meant slavers had been behind the pregnancy. “It wasn’t a lie, but it also wasn’t the truth. I was unsure how to tell you.”

Tallulah blinked. Not a lie but not a truth? What did that mean? “Is—is there another mother? I don’t understand.” 

“No, no. There’s no one else. That’s the matter Tallulah. Anakin has no other biological parent.” Shmi blinked as tears fell from her eyes and made a slow journey down her cheeks. “I felt so selfish, but I had been alone for so long. So I begged, I begged to every deity I knew, I begged to the Force, again and again I begged for a light to come into my life. A child, a love, and it was selfish, but somehow the Force answered me Tallulah. It had answered me and given me Anakin, no father, no one else involved. I know it sounds wrong, but I _know_ that I hadn’t been—he has dreams from time to time that come true, he knows when something bad will happen. Just this morning he told me that today would be a happy day, that he dreamed about a dashing hero in colorful armor. When we were together I hadn’t known how to tell you that it was the Force, I hardly believed it then myself, but I knew that as a Mando’ade, your history with the Jedi has been less than good to say the least.” 

“Anakin is Force Sensitive?” Tallulah muttered, placing a hand onto Shmi’s cheek and turning her head to look back into her eyes. Idly, she wiped away the wetness along her cheek with her thumb as she spoke. “The Mando'ade has a bloody history with the Jetii, yes. But not ade, not young Force Sensitive children like our son. There’s a few people within House Raewyn who are connected to the Force, I’m sure they would love to help Anakin along as he grows. He’s my son, _our_ son, he’s mando’ade no matter where he has grown up before this and what power lies within his bones. You are _both_ part of Clan Skywalker and that means you will both be accepted. You have been for years since my aliit learned that I had married.”

Shmi turned her head and kissed the palm of Tallulah’s hand. “I was so afraid of never seeing you again. Or, if I did, that you wouldn’t love me. I’ve held my love for you deep within my chest for so long I was afraid that it would rip me open with how intense it was. I missed you Tallulah.” She pressed another kiss to her hand and Tallulah swallowed as she nodded along to her wife’s words. It had hurt so bad to wonder if she would live the rest of her life without seeing them both again, never knowing what happened to them. She couldn’t count the amount of times she had fell asleep with a wail on her lips as she thought of her long lost wife and son.

“I missed you Shmi.” Tallulah whispered back as she moved forward to kiss her wife’s lips again. She moved back and slowly, _finally_ , began to unhook her left vambrace from her arm. Her hands shook slightly as she carefully took Shmi’s left arm and set it onto her arm. When they had first married, it had been with words whispered into each other's ears as they held hands, only them laid bare with their love keeping them strong. Tallulah hadn’t had her armor then and had told Shmi when they had first confessed to wanting to be married to each other the meaning of giving another person a vambrace. “Now you just need some more armor, but for now… this is enough.” 

Shmi ran her hand over the vambrace with a small smile. 

Tallulah let her forehead rest on Shmi’s shoulder, enjoying the moment of simply being with her before she perked back up. “I have gifts for you and Anakin! I, well, I always made sure to buy something for you two whenever I could. And, in our home, I’ve been making sure to decorate Ani’s room, I hope he likes it. Actually, while at Tatooine I had bought a scarf for you. Let me, um.” She reached over towards where she had placed her bag, careful to keep Shmi still on her lap as her wife giggled, wrapped her arms around Tallulah’s shoulders, and insisted that Tallulah didn’t have to give her any more gifts. “Now, what kind of wife would I be if I didn’t shower you in my love, my beautiful Shmi?”

“Oh, you’re still a charmer.” Shmi said as her pale cheeks began to grow pink. As always, Shmi looked beautiful with a blush and Tallulah grinned, happy to see it. The scarf was still on the top of Tallulah’s bag and she pulled it out and showed it to Shmi, who grinned and ran the tips of her fingers over the colorful fabric. “I’ve seen these at the market, but I’ve never thought of having my own. Tallulah. I.” She sighed, kissed Tallulah on the cheek, and wrapped the scarf around her head, letting herself stroke at the scarf with a smile. “As much as I despised Tatooine, the sunset really was a lovely sight.”

“Not as lovely as you.” Tallulah answered immediately. 

Shmi gave her an unamused look even as her blush further deepened.

It took them a long while before they went to sleep, Shmi curled into Tallulah’s arms for the first time in nine years, for the first time for many years to come.

**Author's Note:**

> I really enjoyed writing this and might just write little stuff for this universe because :’) it’s just so great. I hope you all enjoyed this! 
> 
> Please leave a comment and a kudos :)


End file.
